Chapter 1

After the accident that took my parents and stole my sight, my childhood friend Leo swore he would be my eyes. For years, I believed him, my dark world revolving around the boy who described every ray of sunlight for me. I was even undergoing a risky, experimental surgery to restore my vision, just for him.

Then, I saw the truth with my own eyes. On his phone screen, I was just the "little blind girl" he had to take care of, a burden he was tired of carrying.

The cruelty didn't stop. He let his new flame publicly humiliate me, and when she faked an injury, he forced me to apologize for a "carelessness" that never happened.

The final betrayal came in a dark sea cave. He abandoned me to the rising tide and the pitch-black darkness, leaving me to face the same terror that had once consumed my entire world. He chose her.

He broke his promise. He broke me.

So I left. I found my own vision, my own strength. Three years later, I returned for my first solo art exhibition, and when I saw his face in the crowd, I knew he was about to see everything he had forced me to be blind to.

Chapter 1

The first clear image I saw in my world of newfound light was Leo's lie. It cut through me, sharper than any shard of glass. On his phone screen, I was just his "little blind girl," a burden he was tired of carrying. My own eyes, just freed from their dark prison, were instantly clouded by a film of tears.

It was supposed to be a triumph. Dr. Chen had just been praising my progress. "Your optic nerves are reconnecting, Clara. Soon, you'll be able to see the whole world." I'd worked for hours, adapting to the thrilling and terrifying sting of light. I wanted to surprise Leo. Ever since the accident stole my sight, he had been my rock, my shadow, my eyes.

The accident had taken my parents and my light. The twisted metal, the acrid smell of burnt rubber, the silence after the screams-it had all fused into an eternal darkness before my eyes. Leo was there. He'd pulled me from the wreckage, his arm broken, his face smeared with my parents' blood. "I'll be your eyes, Clara," he'd whispered in the chaotic aftermath, his words a sacred vow. "Always."

For years, he was. He was my protector, describing the colors of every painting, the expressions on every face, defending me from the pitying glances and cruel whispers. Blindness wasn't my choice; it was a cage built from fear and grief. And Leo, I thought, was the key to that cage. He seemed to navigate the world with ease, the handsome, popular architecture student, always with a crowd around him, yet always ready to be there for me. His loyalty was my anchor. His presence was the only constant, warm light in my dark world.

The VIP recovery suite in this high-end private hospital was where I was relearning to see. I'd spent countless hours here, re-learning to distinguish shapes, outlines, and colors. The process was slow, arduous, and often frustrating. But the thought of finally seeing Leo with my own eyes, really seeing him, telling him how much he meant to me, kept me going. I had a secret, a picture painted a thousand times in my mind, saved just for him. I wanted to look into his eyes and tell him that I was back, a partner who could see the world alongside him, not one who needed it described to her.

That day, my recovery was ahead of schedule. Dr. Chen had advised me to rest before leaving the room. I could hear Leo pacing softly by the window. More restlessly than usual. I heard his characteristic soft laugh. My heart jumped. He must be happy for me. I opened my eyes a fraction, the world still a blur like frosted glass, but I was ready to surprise him.

Then, I saw it. Through the haze, I saw him pull out his phone. The screen's light stung my eyes, but in that instant, as if by a miracle, my vision sharpened for a fleeting moment.

For the first time, I saw Leo with my own eyes. The expression on his face was not one of concern, but of deep impatience and exhaustion. He was typing, a flippant smile on his face I had never "heard" in his voice when he described the world to me.

A wave of nausea rose in my throat. I froze, forgetting to breathe.

My eyes strained to focus, vaguely making out the chat window on the screen, the name at the top was Sophia. "Still taking care of your 'little blind girl'? What a saint."

My breath hitched. The words felt like physical daggers.

"Come on, Sophia," his fingers typed rapidly, a placating smile on his face, "don't be like that. You know she can't do anything without me."

My chest tightened. I gripped the sheets beneath me, my knuckles white. My eyes, just having regained their sight, were now seeing with painful clarity.

"Seriously, Leo, it's been too long. Everyone knows you're just doing it out of pity. She's a dead weight."

"It's not pity," Leo's reply was rough, "it's... complicated."

"Complicated?" Sophia's message popped up instantly. "She can't even see. What's so complicated? You guys are tied together by some morbid childhood pact. It's creepy."

Morbid childhood pact. Was that all it was to him?

"Look," Leo lowered his voice as if he was afraid I'd hear, but he didn't know I could already see. Every word was a hammer blow against my fragile hope. "I am tired. God, Sophia, you have no idea. Every social event, every study group, every damn party. It's always, 'Where's Clara? Is she okay? What does she need?' I'm not her keeper."

My world tilted. The words spun before my eyes, each one a sharp shard of glass.

"See?" Sophia's reply was triumphant. "I knew it. You hate it."

"I don't hate it," Leo's fingers paused, but his next words were laced with resentment. "I just... I want to be normal. I want to have fun without constantly worrying she's going to bump into something. It's like I'm babysitting a ghost."

A ghost. That's what I was to him. An unseen, burdensome specter of a past he couldn't escape.

"Well, you could always just... not," Sophia suggested, her tone dangerously sweet. "She's not your responsibility, you know."

"Yeah, Leo," another message popped up, from his friend Mark. "You're the star of the architecture department. You could have anyone. Why stick with the blind girl?"

Leo sighed, a deep, frustrated gesture that echoed the breaking of my heart. "I know, I know. It's just... after the accident... I promised. It's hard to just ditch her."

Sophia sent a laughing emoji. "Oh, come on. Just make her understand. She's not stupid, just... blind. Tell her you need space. Tell her you're moving on. That you're tired of being tied to the 'poor little blind girl.'"

Leo didn't answer. The silence was louder than any shout. It was his agreement. His silent, damning affirmation.

My vision blurred. I couldn't breathe. The carefully constructed facade of my life, built on Leo's loyalty, shattered before my eyes. I closed my eyes, pretending to still be asleep. My legs trembled uncontrollably under the covers, and I pressed my hand over my mouth to stifle the sob that clawed its way up my throat. My head hit the cool pillow. The first words I had imagined saying to him upon regaining my sight now twisted into a bitter poison in my mind.

I had been so happy, so ready to share my light with him. I had been planning to tell him I could see him, see his clear, handsome features. But now, the only thing I could do was lie in this self-deceiving darkness, swallowed by the deafening roar of my own heartbreak. All those years, all those sacrifices, all that unspoken gratitude... it was all a lie. He saw me as a burden. A tragedy. Not a person. Not Clara.

My hands trembled as I recalled every sunset he described for me, every protective touch of his hand, every time he had been my "eyes." It wasn't love. It was pity. It was obligation. It was a prison for him, and I had been too blind, too desperate for connection, to see it. He hadn't been my eyes; he'd been my reluctant jailer.

A sharp, stinging pain erupted in my fingers. I could feel my nails digging deep crescent moons into my palms. My skin was broken. It was a physical manifestation of the wound in my chest. I wanted to scream, but I held it in. Only silent, burning tears.

No. I wouldn't let them see me break. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction. I wouldn't be the "poor little blind girl" anymore. Not for them. Not for him.

I forced myself to calm down, my body still trembling. I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand. The quiet in the suite was suffocating, but it was my own quiet now, a shield rather than a cage.

A few minutes later, I heard Leo's footsteps approaching. He thought I was still resting. I composed myself, taking a deep breath. When Leo finally leaned over and whispered in his usual "loyal boyfriend" tone, I slowly opened my eyes. My face was a mask. He wouldn't see the shattered pieces. Not yet.

"Clara? You're awake?" he asked, his voice a little too loud, a little too cheerful. He reached out to touch my cheek, but I subtly turned my head.

He paused, his hand dropping. "Uh, Dr. Chen said you did great today. Really good. That's, uh, that's awesome."

I blinked, a small, controlled movement, as if my vision was still blurry and adjusting. My throat ached with unshed words, but I kept them locked away.

"So," he continued, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Ready to get out of here? Sophia and Mark are waiting for us outside."

I looked at him, really "looked" at him. The handsome face, the charming smile, the eyes that now seemed hollow. He was still the popular architecture star, but to me, he was just a boy, a scared boy, hiding behind a facade of loyalty. I had been so wrong.

I shook my head slightly, then pointed to my eyes, feigning discomfort from the light.

"Oh, still a bit sensitive?" he asked, relief flickering in his eyes. "No worries. We can just chill at my place. Sophia has a new movie she wants to watch."

The movie. Of course. Another excuse to be "normal." Another burden to shunt aside. I gave him a small, tight smile. Blinked again. Then I turned my head, pretending to look out the window. He sighed, a barely audible sound of impatience, and walked towards the door.

"You rest up, we'll pick you up later, okay?" he called over his shoulder. "Don't tire yourself out."

I waited until I heard the soft click of the door closing. Then, I found my phone and began to type. These new eyes, the light I was finding, wouldn't be for him. It would be for me. And the first thing it would do was cut him out of my world.